Cheshire residents urged to cut down on the booze this January

Cheshire East Council is supporting Alcohol Change UK’s national campaign Dry January and encouraging people to give up alcohol for the month.

Today an event will be held at Crewe Lifestyle Centre from 10am-2pm where health and social care partners from across Cheshire will be available to talk to visitors about the effects alcohol has on your health.

As well as receiving advice and support, visitors will be able to try free samples of alcohol-free beer, cider, spirits and wine and find out the surprisingly high number of calories contained in alcoholic drinks.

Everybody Sport and Recreation is also backing the campaign and offering an incentive for those who take up the challenge, survive the month and are willing to share their story.

The Council says that regularly drinking more than the recommended level of 14 units of alcohol a week not only makes you put on weight and disturbs your sleep, it also increases your chances of developing high blood pressure, liver problems, having a heart attack and getting some types of cancer – including breast cancer.

The authority says of those who previously took part in Dry January, 88% saved money, just over 71% reported having better sleep, 67% had more energy and 58% lost weight.

An alternative being offered, if you would rather not give up alcohol for the whole of January but want to cut down on how much you are drinking, is the Drink Free Days app - a simple and easy way to track the days you drink alcohol and the days you do not.

You can simply nominate days to take off drinking and get practical, daily support to help you stick to it; and by taking days off drinking, it reduces the risk to your health and gives your liver time to recover.

To help you cut down on your alcohol consumption, One You Cheshire East has also put together a whole host of tips and guidance, alongside community support services, to help you keep your drinking under control – including the Drink Free Days app.